High school to apply for IB program

Administrators say it would bring 'added dimension' to Murrieta Valley

MURRIETA -- School officials are aiming to bring the prestigious
International Baccalaureate program to Murrieta Valley High School,
which would make it the second school in Southwest County to offer
the IB diploma.

By September, administrators plan to formally notify the
Switzerland-based International Baccalaureate Organization of their
intent to apply to become an IB school. Receiving approval is a
lengthy process and Principal Renate Jefferson hopes to have IB up
and running by August 2010.

School officials say IB makes students more competitive for
college, increases students' world knowledge in a way that will
benefit them in future job-hunting, and emphasizes putting
knowledge to practical use.

The advanced program emphasizes not only knowing the material,
but also being able to apply the material, said Guy Romero,
assistant superintendent for educational services for the Murrieta
Valley Unified School District.

IB was started in 1968 to prepare students for college with a
curriculum recognized by universities worldwide. More than 1,700
schools around the globe offer the high school diploma program.

Jefferson said the program would not replace Advanced Placement
courses, but would bring an "added dimension" to the school.

Jefferson visited other IB programs, including the one at Great
Oak High School in Temecula, which saw its first class of IB
students graduate this year. Students told her they liked the way
IB emphasized creative problem-solving and the close-knit
atmosphere it created.

"It's like a school within a school and you have that community
where everyone's in the same boat," Jefferson said.

Students participating in the two-year IB diploma program must
take six subjects: math, English, science, world language, history
of the Americas and arts. They take at least three classes at a
more challenging academic level and also complete a Theory of
Knowledge class exploring the "nature of knowledge across
disciplines," according to the IB Web site.

To earn the diploma, students must also pass tests, write a
research paper and complete community service.

Jefferson said the international focus of the program could make
students more curious and knowledgeable about the world. That, she
said, could make them more likely to study abroad in college and to
develop skills that would make them attractive to employers.

"The jobs that are out there, the professions that are going to
be out there years from now are going to be much more globally
oriented," Jefferson said.

Students can earn college credit from IB classes. Graduates with
an IB diploma can earn 30 quarter-units of credit in University of
California schools.

Romero said he knows of no Murrieta Valley Unified students who
have requested transfers out of the school district specifically to
attend the IB program at Great Oak or in Riverside. However, he
said parents moving to the area sometimes call to see if the
program is offered at the district's schools.

"Districts that don't have IB are at a bit of a disadvantage
because there are many family members who are looking for that as
they move into a community," Romero said. "A district our size and
a district with our history of test scores, you would expect they
would have an IB program."

The district's Academic Performance Index score, which is based
on standardized test results, has consistently ranked second in the
county to Temecula Valley Unified.

Administrators estimate bringing the program to Murrieta Valley
High would cost about $70,000 in start-up costs, including teacher
training and fees paid to the International Baccalaureate
Organization to review the school. Once the program is in place,
the district would have to pay the cost of releasing an IB
coordinator from teaching duties for part of the day.

Students would also have to pay the $127 registration fee to
enroll in the diploma program and $84 per test. Jefferson said fee
waivers would be made available for students who could not afford
the tests, as the school does for AP students.

There are no plans to introduce the program to Vista Murrieta
High School or Murrieta Mesa High School, which opens in August
2009. Romero noted that students living outside Murrieta Valley
High's boundaries who are interested in the program can request
transfers to attend the school.

Jefferson said counselors will encourage students who might join
IB to take a rigorous curriculum in their freshman and sophomore
years. However, she said she doesn't plan to set a strict
grade-point average or test score criteria that students must meet
to enter the program.

"It's not just for the student who is a four-point-something
student and is absolutely the highest-level academic student," she
said. "Our goal is to include all students who are willing to
engage themselves at such a level."